Stripe Plots $85 Billion Employee Share Sale

Stripe is reportedly in talks about an employee stock sale at an $85 billion valuation.

The deal could add $15 billion on to the payments company valuation, Bloomberg News reported late Monday (Feb. 10), citing sources familiar with the matter.

That number, the report says, is still $10 billion lower than Stripe’s peak valuation of $95 billion, achieved when the company last raised money in the tech boom of 2021. The sources said the deal is still being hammered out and its terms could change.

As Bloomberg notes, Stripe — founded and led by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison — has turned into a major financial institution following its launch in 2011. It’s been long considered a candidate for a major initial public offering (IPO), though Stripe has insisted it is in no hurry to go public, the report added.

Stripe recently said it would lay off 300 workers, while also planning to boost its overall staffing levels to 10,000 by the year’s end. It now…